Feed me. The WHOLE entry.

July 10th, 2008 by Steph · 26 Comments · Life

Alright, kids, let’s talk. Specifically, let’s talk about your feeds. I’m a busy girl with a blog addiction, so I read through Google Reader. That’s just how it is. Now, I admit, I understand that you want me (and your other readers) to come to your blog directly so that you get those page hits and comments and the like. I really do get it. I want those same things.

However.

Put the whole friggin’ entry in your feed. Don’t give me an excerpt or worse, the title alone. Because I will unsubscribe. Post haste. (Ha. POST haste. Get it? Get it? Nevermind.) For me, it’s just a matter of principle. Giving excerpts is a way to force your readers to come to your blog, in my never-ever-ever humble opinion. And I’m the kind of girl that screams, “I DOES WHAT I WANTS” when I feel like someone is trying to make me do something. I’m betting I’m not alone.

Wait. Am I alone? What do y’all think? Am I the lone crackpot here?

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Tags: blogging·feeds·Google reader

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26 responses so far ↓

1 Lindsey // Jul 10, 2008 at 6:06 pm

I am the Forrest Gump of computers, so I have no friggin’ CLUE what you are talking about. And since clearly, you are talking to computer savvy people in this post, why would I comment, you ask? Beause I love you and needed my Steph fix. So there.
2 San Diego Momma // Jul 10, 2008 at 7:29 pm

I read Heather’s (ohmystinkinheck.com) WordPress Wednesday rant on that, so I programmed my feeds to show the whole post.

Otherwise, I’d be one of the idjits.
3 Steph // Jul 10, 2008 at 8:05 pm

Lindsey - You don’t ever have to have a reason to comment. Srsly. Also? Your feed is a-okay, so fuhgeddaboudit.

Deb - You could never be an idjit. Aside from that, I’d have e-mailed you begging you to please, please, please let me fix it for you. :grin:
4 Noel // Jul 10, 2008 at 8:54 pm

I don’t know what this means. But rock on! :-D
5 Missy // Jul 10, 2008 at 9:20 pm

Okay I hate that too. Also because I don’t feed my own blog - mine feeds the whole shebang right? If not let me know and I’ll go fix that shit right quick.

Also I read that as “The lone Crockpot.” I thought I missed some awesome new phrase but no…I’m stupid and can’t read.
6 Steph // Jul 11, 2008 at 5:04 am

Noel - LOL. It’s like people are using LJ cuts in their feeds, except I can’t just click a “Read More” link - I have to go to their actual site to read the whole thing. I don’t like this.

Missy - Yours is fine. It’s the whole entry. Not that it matters with yours (or Deb’s) - I use Google Reader to keep up with whether or not y’all have posted. lol

Also? I’m possibly the Lone Crockpot…except I don’t slow-cook food until it’s tender and delicious.
7 kendra // Jul 11, 2008 at 6:46 am

I hear you. There is lots to read so make it simple to get to. And…give me some pics once in a while. I get lost in reading a blog that looks like an excerpt to a book. I don’t always need pics, not that elementary, well maybe, but give me something once in a while. Bitchy, huh? Your blog? Very easy and fun to read.
8 Steph // Jul 11, 2008 at 6:57 am

Kendra - I’m totally that elementary. Give me some shiny stuff to look at, or I’m probably going to get distracted by my cat taking a bath or my kid licking the dog or something. ADD, thy name is Steph. Anyway, my point there was that no, you’re not bitchy. :D
9 d // Jul 11, 2008 at 8:50 am

Dude, I have no idea what mine does. I don’t know if it gives the photo or just the tile or how I would even go about fixing it.

As far as a viewer goes, I never use feeds, I do just go directly to the site. So it doesn’t matter to me whether it’s a title or the whole dang thing.
10 matteroffactmommy // Jul 11, 2008 at 8:53 am

first off, i love you. secondly, i am with lindsey. i have no freaking idea what you’re talking about. honestly, i don’t give a crap about having a ton of traffic on my site since i don’t advertise at all. (i do link threadless and sofiabean, but threadless could give a shit and sofiabean is a friend of mine.) anyhoo, i don’t “do” the reader thing - i just have all of my favorite blogs bookmarked and i visit them frequently. and i think that makes me a REAL idjit - not the kind Deb was talking about…
11 Steph // Jul 11, 2008 at 8:56 am

d - I read about a dozen blogs on a daily basis. I don’t have unlimited time to check to see if there are updates.
12 Steph // Jul 11, 2008 at 8:58 am

MoFM - You’re just more ambitious than me. (And by “ambitious”, I mean “way less effing lazy”.) I’m totally too forgetful (and lazy) to check. I NEED my Reader. :grin:
13 d // Jul 11, 2008 at 8:59 am

I hear that. I only read like uh 3 or 4.

Do I need to fix mine and if so, how in the heck do I do that?
14 Steph // Jul 11, 2008 at 9:01 am

d - I haven’t noticed your feed being effed up, so I’m guessing it’s okay. lol.
15 Eden // Jul 11, 2008 at 9:09 am

I think some applications cut off the feed and the user has no control over it. But yeah, it bugs me to no end as well.
16 Steph // Jul 11, 2008 at 9:22 am

Eden - Really? Huh. I didn’t know that. I’ve tried a few different platforms, and it’s always been up to me to decide. God knows, though, I’ve not tried all the blogging platforms available. :grin:
17 Anita Doberman (Immigrant Momma) // Jul 11, 2008 at 12:57 pm

I hope I am not doing this - I agree it’s nice when it’s the whole entry without being forced to go the site.
I wonder if I have been doing this with typepad - there is a little box at the bottom that tells me “excerpt” hum…maybe that’s what it is
I am not even sure because I am not very good with design/computer stuff
Ciao
Anita
18 Melanie @ Mel, A Dramatic Mommy // Jul 11, 2008 at 1:08 pm

I post full feeds because I’ve read (many times) it makes people angry not to. I know when to do as I’m told.

And I agree with the pictures. It does help to break up a looooooong post.
19 matteroffactmommy // Jul 11, 2008 at 1:16 pm

oh, you don’t know lazy my friend…

i could teach classes on How To Be Lazy… there’s a little picture of me next to the definition of Lazy in the dictionary… my tombstone will read “Lazy.”… etc., etc., etc….
20 Steph // Jul 11, 2008 at 2:24 pm

Anita - Actually, your feed is not working at all. FeedBurner is giving me an error when I try to subscribe to your blog. :/

Mel - People get cranky about this, don’t they? :grin:

MoFM - Soul sistah, because seriously? I am laaaazzzzy.
21 Candy // Jul 11, 2008 at 3:28 pm

I was gonna leave a comment in reply, but I was too lazy to get out of my Reader to do it.

Oh…wait…

Seriously, I almost always leave the reader to read a decent post. Because I’m mouthy and I like to leave a comment. Case in point.
22 Steph // Jul 11, 2008 at 3:31 pm

Candy - HA! But I’m with you. I live to go speak my mind all over the intertubes, but on MY terms, dammit! Crap, my control issues are showing again.
23 Myra // Jul 11, 2008 at 5:19 pm

honey, you might be a crackpot, but you are not alone. i hate that misself. i think mine looks ok. does it meet your liking st. phanie? (i try to work your name into a sentence whenever possible because it is so witty and funny.)
24 Steph // Jul 12, 2008 at 12:06 am

Myra - Your feed is perfect. Also? Every time I read St. Phanie, I crack up. That’s not going to get old anytime soon. Hee.
25 Devilish Southern Belle // Jul 13, 2008 at 12:06 am

Just clicked over from my google friends’ shared items, and have to say: I couldn’t agree with you more. I’ve been wrestling with whether or not to post something similar on my own blog (and someday I probably will), because I CAN NOT STAND partial feeds. Does anyone actually enjoy reading partial feeds? I read a lot of blogs, too, and click over for exactly two people, and a third every great once in a while. And only for them because I really, truly love their posts.

It’s especially irritating to have to click on a blogger hosted post, where you don’t even usually get the page to post a comment and have to click through yet another one to leave a comment. People would be better served to do a full feed, and add a direct-to-comments link via feedburner.

Anyway….I’m going to share, too :)
26 Steph // Jul 13, 2008 at 12:17 am

Devilish Southern Belle - First? I LOVE that name. Second? Post away, please! Maybe we can end the partial feed madness. Every journey begins with one step, right? :D

Last but never, ever, EVER least, thank you for stopping by and commenting! I love that. (Also, I’m one of those ~~crazy~~ ~~obsessive~~ friendly types who winds up ~~getting addicted~~ subscribing to everyone who leaves me links. :grin:)